Applies ToOutlook for Microsoft 365 Outlook 2024 Outlook 2021 Outlook 2019 Outlook 2016 Outlook on the web Outlook.com New Outlook for Windows Outlook for iOS Outlook on the web for Exchange Server 2016 Outlook on the web for Exchange Server 2019 Outlook Web App

Many users find that using an external keyboard with keyboard shortcuts for Outlook helps them work more efficiently. Keyboard shortcuts can be easier than a touchscreen and are an essential alternative to using a mouse.

Important: Steps may be different between new and classic Outlook for Windows. To determine which version of Outlook you're using, look for File on the ribbon. If there's no File option, follow the steps under the New Outlook tab. If the File option appears, select the tab for Classic Outlook.

Notes: 

  • The shortcuts in this topic refer to the US keyboard layout. Keys for other layouts might not correspond exactly to the keys on a US keyboard.

  • A plus sign (+) in a shortcut means that you need to press multiple keys at the same time.

  • A comma sign (,) in a shortcut means that you need to press multiple keys in order.

This article describes the keyboard shortcuts in new Outlook for Windows. While many shortcuts are the same as in classic Outlook, there are some differences.

Tip: To quickly find a shortcut in this article, press Ctrl+F, and then type your search terms.

In this topic

Frequently used shortcuts

This table lists the most frequently used shortcuts in new Outlook

To do this

Press

Create a new message or calendar event.

Ctrl+N

Open the selected message in a new window.

Shift+Enter

Delete message or item.

Delete

Forward message.

Ctrl+F

Go to Calendar.

Ctrl+2

Select the Reply All option.

Ctrl+Shift+R

Reply to email message.

Ctrl+R

Send an email message.

Ctrl+Enter

Open split buttons.

Alt+Down arrow key

Open keyboard shortcuts.

Question mark (?)

Key tips.

Alt

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Edit text

The text editing keyboard shortcuts in new Outlook are the same as those in other Microsoft products.

To do this

Press

Copy your selection to the clipboard.

Ctrl+C

Cut the text you selected.

Ctrl+X

Delete selected text or characters to the left of the cursor.

Backspace

Delete the word to the left of the cursor, but not the space before the word.

Ctrl+Backspace

Insert a hyperlink.

Ctrl+K

Paste content from the clipboard into the current location.

Ctrl+V

Repeat the most recent action.

Ctrl+Y

Reverse the most recent action.

Ctrl+Z

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Format text

The text formatting keyboard shortcuts in new Outlook are the same as those in other Microsoft products.

To do this

Press

Apply bold formatting.

Ctrl+B

Apply italic formatting.

Ctrl+I

Underline text.

Ctrl+U

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Mail keyboard shortcuts in new Outlook

Use the Folder pane

To do this

Press

Go to the Folder pane.

Ctrl+Y

Quick jump to the folder name

Any alphanumeric key

Collapse the selected section.

Left arrow key

Expand the selected section.

Right arrow key

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Use the message and reading list

The keyboard shortcuts for new Outlook in the below table can be used to perform the same action in both the message list and the reading list.

To do this

Press

Delete the selected message.

Delete

Mark the selected conversation or message as read.

Ctrl+Q

Mark the selected conversation or message as unread.

Ctrl+U

Permanently delete the selected message or item.

Shift+Delete

Flag a message or mark a flagged message as complete.

Insert

Cancel a search.

Esc

Go to the next message

Ctrl+>

Go to the previous message

Ctrl+<

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Use the message list

The keyboard shortcuts for new Outlook in the below table are message list specific.

To do this

Press

Select the current and next message in the list. Use this to select multiple, contiguous messages.

Shift+Down arrow key

Select the current and previous messages in the list. Use this to select multiple, contiguous messages.

Shift+Up arrow key

Select the first message in the folder.

Home or Ctrl+Home

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Use the reading list

The keyboard shortcuts for new Outlook in the below table are reading list specific.

To do this

Press

Close a new message.

Esc

Create a new message.

Ctrl+N

Forward a selected message.

Ctrl+F

Go to the bottom of a conversation or message.

End

Go to the top of a conversation or message.

Home

Move down one page for conversations or messages of two or more pages.

Page down

Move up one page for conversations or messages of two or more pages.

Page up

Reply to the selected message.

Ctrl+R

Reply to the sender and all recipients of the selected message.

Ctrl+Shift+R

Send a message.

Ctrl+Enter

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Calendar keyboard shortcuts in new Outlook

To do this

Press

Create a new calendar item.

Ctrl+N

Delete the selected item.

Delete

Go to the calendar.

Ctrl+2

Move to a different region in the calendar.

F6

Move to the next event or area in the current view.

Tab key

Move to a previous event or area in the current view.

Shift+Tab

Open the selected item.

Enter

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Contacts (People) keyboard shortcuts

The People view is your address book in Outlook where your personal contacts are stored and where you can open any address book that has been set up for your organization. The People, Mail, and Calendar views work together so you can easily send mail to and schedule appointments with your most important people.

To do this

Press

Go to People.

Ctrl+3

Go to Mail.

Ctrl+1

Go to Calendar.

Ctrl+2

Delete a contact or contact list.

Delete or Ctrl+D

Create a contact.

Ctrl+N

Search for a contact.

Ctrl+E

Discard contact.

Esc

Save a contact or contact list.

Ctrl+S

Select all contacts or contact lists.

Ctrl+A

Unselect all contacts or contact lists.

Esc

Edit a contact or contact list.

Shift+E

Move down in the contact list or hub list.

Down arrow key

Move up in the contact list or hub list.

Up arrow key

Create a contact list.

Ctrl+L

Display the list of People keyboard shortcuts.

Shift+Question mark (?)

Move the focus to the Home tab.

Alt, H

Move the focus to the View tab.

Alt, V

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Use keyboard shortcuts to add accent marks and special characters for new Outlook

To add accents or special characters in new Outlook, use the number pad on your external keyboard with Num Lock turned on.

  1. Press and hold Alt.

  2. Type the numeric code on the number pad and release Alt.

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Vowels with accents

The following table lists vowels with accent marks and the Alt code for them in new Outlook.

Uppercase vowel with grave accent

Press

À

0192

È

0200

Ì

0204

Ò

0210

Ù

0217

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Lowercase vowel with grave accent

Press

à

0224

è

0232

ì

0236

ò

0242

ù

0249

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Uppercase vowel with acute accent

Press

Á

0193

É

0201

Í

0205

Ó

0211

Ú

0218

Ý

0221

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Lowercase vowel with acute accent

Press

á

0224

é

0233

í

0237

ó

0243

ú

0250

ý

0253

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Uppercase vowel with circumflex accent

Press

Â

0194

Ê

0202

Î

0206

Ô

0212

Û

0219

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Lowercase vowel with circumflex accent

Press

â

0226

ê

0234

î

0238

ô

0244

û

0251

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Uppercase vowel with tilde accent

Press

Ã

0195

Ñ

0209

Õ

0213

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Lowercase vowel with tilde accent

Press

ã

0227

ñ

0241

õ

0245

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Uppercase vowel with umlaut accent

Press

Ä

0196

Ë

0203

Ï

0207

Ö

0214

Ü

0220

Ÿ

0159

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Lowercase vowel with umlaut accent

Press

ä

0228

ë

0235

ï

0239

ö

0246

ü

0252

ÿ

0255

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Punctuation, consonants, and special vowels

Mark, letter, symbol, or character

Press

Inverted exclamation mark (¡)

0161

Inverted question mark (¿)

0191

Uppercase C-cedilla (Ç)

0199

Lowercase c-cedilla (ç)

0231

Uppercase OE diphthong (Œ)

0140

Lowercase oe diphthong (œ)

0156

Eszett or ss (ß)

0223

Masculine ordinal indicator or degree symbol (º)

0186

Feminine ordinal indicator (ª)

0170

Uppercase O with a stroke (Ø)

0216

Lowercase o with a stroke (ø)

0248

Uppercase A with an overring, A-ring (Å)

0197

Lowercase a with an overring, A-ring (å)

0229

Uppercase AE diphthong or uppercase ash (Æ)

0198

Lowercase ae diphthong or lowercase ash (æ)

0230

Uppercase thorn (Þ)

0222

Lowercase thorn (þ)

0254

Uppercase eth (Ð)

0208

Lowercase eth (ð)

0240

Double left angled quotation mark («)

0171

Double right angled quotation mark (»)

0187

Single left angled quotation mark (‹)

0139

Single right angled quotation mark (›)

0155

Uppercase S with caron (Š)

0138

Lowercase s with caron (š)

0154

Uppercase Z with caron (Ž)

0142

Lowercase z with caron (ž)

0158

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Special characters

Character

Press

Cent symbol ¢

0162

Copyright symbol ©

0169

Dagger symbol †

0134

Double dagger symbol or diesis ‡

0135

Pound sign £

0163

Euro sign €

0128

Yen sign ¥

0165

Function sign ƒ

0131

Currency sign ¤

0164

Registered trademark symbol ®

0174

Trademark symbol ™

0153

Bullet •

0149

En dash –

0151

Em dash —

0150

Section sign §

0167

Paragraph sign or pilcrow ¶

0182

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See also

Use a screen reader to explore and navigate Outlook Mail

Use a screen reader to explore and navigate Outlook Calendar

Use a screen reader to explore and navigate the People app

Basic tasks using a screen reader with email in Outlook

Basic tasks using a screen reader with the calendar in Outlook

Screen reader support for Outlook

Technical support for customers with disabilities

Microsoft wants to provide the best possible experience for all our customers. If you have a disability or questions related to accessibility, please contact the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk for technical assistance. The Disability Answer Desk support team is trained in using many popular assistive technologies and can offer assistance in English, Spanish, French, and American Sign Language. Please go to the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk site to find out the contact details for your region.

If you are a government, commercial, or enterprise user, please contact the enterprise Disability Answer Desk.

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